Sparking apparatus for internal-combustion engines.



H. c. CLAY. FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED min, 1910. 1,015,005.

SPARKING APPARATUS Patented Jan. 16,1912.

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

HARRY C. CLAY, OF COLUMBUS, INDIANA, ASSIGNO R TO REEVES & CBOMPANY, 0F

COLUMBUS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

SPARRING ALPPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES. 7

T 0 all whom it may concern: Be. it known that I, HARRY C. CLAY, a citizen "oflthe United States, residing at Columbus,t;t;inthe county of Bartholomew and State *of -Indiana, have invented a new and. useful- Sparking Apparatus for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

It is a well known fact that, in order to produce the'proper igniting spark by means of a magneto or other generator, the generator must be given amaximum' speed of rotation at the time of spark production. Where the generator is used for supplying the sparking current to an internal combustion engine of large power, especially where there are only one or two cylinders to the engine, itis diflicult, and many times impossible, to move the engine by hand through its compression stroke with that amount of speed which is necessary to drive the generator at its minimum speed. Accidents have also occurred in the starting of engines of this kind by reason of the failure of the operator to properly retard the time of sparking. a p

The object of my present invention is, therefore, to produce a driving train for the magneto or other generator of such charac ter that, for hand starting of the engine, the generator may .be driven at an increased speed at the moment of spark'production, mechanism being provided for automatically returning the driving train to normal con-f dition whenever the engine proceeds under its own power.

A further object of my invention "is to provlde' a construction by means of which the time .of the spark will be automatically retarded for hand starting and automatically advanced whenever'the structure is in normal operating position. The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan in partial horizontal "section of a device embodylng my invention;

Fig. 2 a partial end elevation; Fig. 3 sectionon line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is'a detail of the timer.

In the drawin s, 10 indicates a supporting base'or frame for the magneto or other generator and 11 indicates the generator. ecured to the bottom of the generator and extendin horiz'ontallytherefrom, is a plunger 12, s own in dotted lines in the figures,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1912.

Application filed July 8, 1910. Serial No. 571,024.

which is slidably mounted in a pocket 'or chamber 13 formed in the base 10 and provided at its rear end with a vent. 14, the plunger and cylinder thus forming a dash pot, the purpose of whichwill appear. Secured to base 10 are two horizontally extending pins 15 which slide in suitably formed guidesor pockets 16 in the bottom of the generator, the said pockets being freely vented at 17. A spring 18 serves to normally hold the generator in the position shpwn in the drawings, at which position the shaft 19 of the generator will be concentric with a driving shaft' 21. Shaft 21 carries a crank 22, the wrist pin 23 of which is journaled in a block 24 slidably mounted in a radial slot 25 formed in a long crankarm 26 secured to shaft 19. v

Shaft 21 may be driven in any suitable manner, and in the present drawings I have shown it provided with a gear 27 meshing with a gear 28 carried by shaft 29 driven in any suitable manner by the engine. Slidably mounted on shaft 21 is a collar 31 normally urged in one direction by means of a spring 32. Engaging collar 31 are centrifw. gally affected governor arms 33 pivotally mounted at 34 on ears 35 carried by gear 27 which is adapted to engage in a notch 38 1 formed in the bottom of generator 11. The

in a well known manner. Collar 31 is pro;

vided with a circumferential groove 36 into which is projected one end of a latch bar 37 rod 39 is secured to the bottom of the generator and extended to any point of convenient access so that the generator may be moved bodilyagainst the action of spring 18 so as .to shift shaft 19 to a position eccentric to shaft 21.

The operation is as follows: The operator shifts rod 39 so as to move the generator to a position where latch 37 'will move into notch 38 and thus hold shaft 19 eccentric to shaft 21. When the engine is moved by hand through its compression stroke, shaft 2l'will, through crank 22 and wrist pin 23, block 24 and crank 26, drive shaft 19, but, owing to the eccentricity of this shaft, the velocity of the shaft at difierent points in its rotation will vary, the higher speed ,being obtained at that point relative to the movement of the engine piston, which will; be desirable to obtain spark. As a consequence, the operator, While bein unable to move the engine at a velocity su cient to produce a son of the shifted position of the generator, to obtain a proper speed of the generator.

As soon as theengine proceedsnnder its own. power, gear 27 will be driven at a s11fl icient speed to cause the governor'balls 33 to shift collar 31 and thus withdraw latch 37 from notch 38 so that spring 18' will serve to shift the generator back to a position where its shaft 19 will be concentric with the driving shaft ,21, the dash pot 1213 preventingtoo'sudden a movement. The device-is particularly intended for as use in connection with gasolene engines to be used for stationaryor'traction engine work and in: such work the time of spark production is practically fixed becanse the englwz'works under-full speed. This time of spark production, however, is not well adapted for starting the engine and, therefore, the generator is provided with an ordi nary timer .41 to which is secured an arm 42 provided with a slot 43 which receives a pin 44 carried by the base 10, the. arrangement being such that,'when the generator is shifted bodily to brln its shaft'eccentric to the driving. shaft, (fie! timer is shifted sufficiently to retardthetime ofspark production by a proper amount.

'I claim as my mventionz 1. The comb'nation, with a generator and adriving member, of anintermediate driving train between said driving member and generator having relatively movable portions capable of occu-pging different speed relations to produce di erences in speed effect of the driving member upon the generator, means for normally holding the mem-f here of said driving train in one speed relation, means for holding said driving train in abnormal speed relation, and a speed controlled governor connected to said driving train and arranged to withdraw said last 45 mentioned holding. means to permit the driving train to'assume its normal speed rela- .tion. i 2. The combination of .a driving shaft, a generator with its shaft, a support for one of said parts permitting shifting of one of said shafts to a. osition eccentric to the other, a wrist-pin crank and a slotted crank engaged thereby, one carried by one of said shafts and the other by the other. means for yieldingly shifting one of said shafts to a position in normal relation to the other, means for holding said last mentioned shaft in a positioneccentric to the other shaft, and

a speed controlled overnor connectedto on of said shafts and to said holding mean whereby, when desired speed of one of the shafts has 'been attained, the holding means will be withdrawn and the yielding means will serve to bring the displaced shaft to normal relationship with theother shaft.

means for holding said last mentioned shaft in a position eccentric to the other shaft, a

speed controlled governor connected to one 0f said shafts and to said holding means.

whereby, when desired speed of one of the shafts has been attained, the holding means will be withdrawn and the yielding means will serve to bring the displaced shaft to normal relationship with the othershaft, a

timer conn'ectedwith said generator, and meanscontrolled by the movement of the shiftable shaft for shifting the time to 'retard the spark production when the shiftable shaft is in abnormal position.

4. The combination of a driving shaft, 9. generator with. its shaft, a su port for one of said parts permitting shifting of one of said. shafts .to a position eccentric to the other, awrist-pin crank and a slotted crank' engaged thereby, one carried by one of said shafts and the other by the other, a timer connected with said generator, and means.

controlled by the, movement of the shiftable shaft for shifting the time to retard the spark production when the shiftable shaft is in abnormal position.

generator with its shaft, a support for one of said parts permitting shiftmg'of one of said. shafts to I a, position eccentric to the other, a-wrist-pin crank and a slotted crank engaged thereby, one carried by one of said shafts and the other by the other, means for 5. The combination of a driving. shaft, a

yieldingly shifting one of-said shafts to a position in normal relation to the other, means for holding said last mentioned shaft in a position eccentric to theother shaft, a timer connected with said generator, and means controlled by the movement of the shiftable shaft for shifting the time to retard the spark production when the shiftable shaft is in abnormal position. v

6. The combination of a driving shaft, a generator with its shaft, a support for one of said shafts permitting shifting of the same to a position eccentric to the'other and intermediate driving connections between the two shafts maintainable in either position of the movable shaft and of such charthe shiftable shaft temporarily in its abnormal position,and a speed 'controlledgovrnor connected to ohe (it seid shafts and to vm y lia lid and seal at: C 1ufibus,' Indiana, said holding means whereby, when desired thissecohd day of July, A. D. one thousand sgeed of one of the shafts has been attained, mnehundred-and'ten. t

e holding means will be withdrawn and i HARRY C. CLAY. [1). 8.] 5' the shifteble shaft returned to normal posi- Witnesses: I. f

tion. V J H. BAGHTEL,

In Witness whereof, I, have hereunto set ,fPERRY KING.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Batents,

Washington, D. 0. 

